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Please make a dumb car

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Re: Please make a dumb car

#401

Post by throwaway946513 »

tbdenney wrote: post #398
throwaway946513 wrote: post #220

I bought a 2022 Subaru Impreza Sport Hatchback last year in September. 5 Speed Manual Transmission Heated Seats Cruise Control SXM Radio All-wheel drive No turbo to consume oil, no software to control the car. The Radio has Android Auto, and some software updates available for some nice 'radio features', like showing you the news, weather, sports information, etc. Never used it. I still own a 1999 Isuzu Rodeo, safety…

The last vehicle I owned about 15 years ago was a late 90's model Rodeo and I absolutely loved it. I hope you take yours out for a spin every now and then!

I love mine, and refused to trade it for the Subie. Unfortunately, the transmission is leaking, and the engine burns oil pretty excessively. Plan is to swap the engine and transmission out of a manual Subaru Outback or Forester and make it a more weekend oriented SUV.

Re: Please make a dumb car

#402

Post by karaterobot »

dntrkv wrote: post #274
stillsut wrote: post #179

I went car shopping this year in the new market and found that that if you want more a "dumb" car (UX occurs primarily outside of a touchscreen, no internet, no geolocation) you lose all potential for any nice non-smart features. So no heated/powered seats, no power windows, the material of the interior is refurbished from a spirit airlines airplane, etc. I think manufacturers are hoping that certain aspects of the m…

> these unwanted smart features Only within the niche HN-type tech crowd. Most people outside of this group want these features, even other techies, including myself. It's the same discussion on any thread involving smart devices. People want this stuff, that's why there have been over 200M standalone smart speakers sold. As far as why these things get bundled, that’s just how auto manufacturing works. Every unique c…

The only data I have is anecdotal, but I ask people about this all the time. Some people seem to like the idea of an infotainment system, or rely on it for car trips with kids, but I have not heard any drivers who prefer touchscreens to physical controls.

I know that I, personally, love having a backup camera, but don't need or a screen for anything else, and would prefer physical controls for most things. Unfortunately that's not an option in most vehicles, so I am kind of coming to the conclusion that my next car will be an older model that's "dumb", since this is an overall better experience.

I don't think you could use the number of sales of cars with this kind of UI as evidence that people like it, since (the article mentions this) car manufacturers want to put it everywhere, regardless of popularity. It's got so many benefits from their side. It's not that I think they forced it on people, I think it was originally a cool novelty that people were excited about. But, after the novelty wore off, and a lot of people stopped wanting it in their cars, the industry had so fully committed to it that people just don't have the option to do without it these days.

Re: Please make a dumb car

#403

Post by SkyPuncher »

throwawayboise wrote: post #376
olyjohn wrote: post #364

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Actual rear visibility would be an upgrade. Cars don't seem to come with that anymore.

Wind tunnel engineering. Cars do not have large upright rear windows anymore because a sloping "fastback" design with a higher rear deck is more aerodynamic and gets an extra fraction of an MPG on the fuel economy rating.

While you're not wrong, that's just the current trend of people preferring SUVs to cars.

The "slope" back design seems to hit this sweet spot. Ease of entry, versatility, and capability while not appearing to be a "beast" of a vehicle.

Re: Please make a dumb car

#404

Post by frankgrimesjr »

fingerlocks wrote: post #272
stillsut wrote: post #179

I went car shopping this year in the new market and found that that if you want more a "dumb" car (UX occurs primarily outside of a touchscreen, no internet, no geolocation) you lose all potential for any nice non-smart features. So no heated/powered seats, no power windows, the material of the interior is refurbished from a spirit airlines airplane, etc. I think manufacturers are hoping that certain aspects of the m…

Did you look into Subaru? They are still using physical controls for all car functionality. You can get heated seats, heated steering, stereoscopic lane keep assist & adaptive cruise control, etc. There is a touch screen, but I only use it for Apple Car Play.

Sadly, Subaru are also starting to slowly move controls onto a touchscreen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFbZ3nkhcRQ

Re: Please make a dumb car

#405

Post by deltree7 »

Spivak wrote: post #337
deltree7 wrote: post #291

Sure, people want simple, but simple is very subjective. I want simple, +Bluetooth Audio I want simple, +rear Camera I want simple, +Cruise Control I want simple, .... https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2001/03/23/strategy-letter-iv...

It's really not that subjective. Take the feature set of mass-market cars from 2000 - 2008 and then just ... stop. That's your baseline. There's nothing magic about the 2000s it's just happens to be the era juuuust before people started complaining about smart features in cars. * Media controls are handled by swappble receivers that can handle anything from tapes to Bluetooth and satellite radio depending on your pre…

It's like you completely missed the point of Joel's blog

Re: Please make a dumb car

#406

Post by peanut-walrus »

My 2019 Kia Stinger has physical gauges and every single thing I need for actually driving is a physical button, knob or dial. Yes, there is a touchscreen, however that is 99% of the time I am in the car connected to my phone, so basically just an external screen for my phone (which I would otherwise have to dangle in some phone holder somewhere). Also, all of the driving "aids" remember the last setting they were set to, so I don't have to disable them every time I sit into the car, which is a common problem with new cars.

Re: Please make a dumb car

#407

Post by greedo »

yencabulator wrote: post #326
greedo wrote: post #300

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you live in a place with cold winters, it's pretty handy to be able to start your car as you leave the office. By the time you've walked to your car, it's nice and warm and the engine is running optimally.[1] 1. I know modern engines claim not to need to be warmed up, but I think that's a load of crap. Oil and other lubricants at very cold temperatures need to warm up and there's no evidence that it hurts anything…

If you live in a place with cold winters, a block heater is a lot better.

That requires an outlet near your car. My office (back when I had to go into the office) has parking lots that don't have any outlets.

Re: Please make a dumb car

#408

Post by temporallobe »

Johnny555 wrote: post #256

I don't mind having a smart car, in fact, I like most of the "smart" features - lane centering, adaptive cruise, emergency braking, TPMS, lane change cameras, auto headlights, auto wipers, etc. But I want buttons and knobs for everything I use while driving. I probably wouldn't pay extra for built-in navigation (it generally comes with other options that I do want), but I've found it useful a few times when I was out…

Mercedes and Mazda have this in many of their models - mechanical rotary dials and real buttons for common controls.

Re: Please make a dumb car

#409

Post by greedo »

waynesonfire wrote: post #329
greedo wrote: post #295

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Backup cameras are mandated in the US now, so that requires an LCD screen on the dash.

No it doesnt. My subaru has it in the rear view, where it belongs.

Toyota had that when I looked at the Tundra in 2012. The image is far too small (postage stamp size) to really see what's there.

Re: Please make a dumb car

#410

Post by EdwardDiego »

deadlyllama wrote: post #302
EdwardDiego wrote: post #171

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Haha, yep, NZ, and the 2005 MPV :D That's not a bad idea at all on the head.

There's a good Geekzone thread on head unit installation. Especially useful if you want to keep the factory reverse camera operating. Note the camera needs 6V. Voltage conversion boards are ultra cheap on aliexpress or if you're in Wellington you could have one from my stash :)

Thank you for the kind offer :)

I don't have a factory camera, but would be worth doing a third party one, the visibility while reversing is rather poor as soon as you get teenagers sitting in the back.

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